The
Dance Theatre of Harlem arrived at The New York State Theatre on July
8 with the world premiere of "St. Louis Woman: A Blues Ballet."
Artistic director Arthur Mitchell hopes it will become a company signature
piece, and it lived up to the grand expectations it generated.

The extravaganza
event featured the music of Harold Arlen and lyrics of Johnny Mercer with
choreography by Michael Smuin. Inspired by Harlem Renaissance writer Arna
Bontemps's novel "God Sends Sunday," the story is one of power,
betrayal, death, and the triumph of love.

Caroline Rocher's
luxurious dancing as Della Green, the town heart-throb, captures the kind
of glamour for which the original 1946 movie concept strove (Lena Horne
was slated for the role, although she never actually played it). As two
men -- big-man Biglow Brown (Donald Williams) and top jockey Little Augie
(Ikolo Griffin) -- vie for her attention, Rocher spins, dips and plays
the vixen. She dances with Williams to a tango rhythm, at one point wrapping
her body around his and pausing with her head at his ankle and her feet
at his head. Ultimately, though, she falls in love with Little Augie after
his impressive solo of dazzling triple turns.

Tai Jimenez floated
through her role as Lila, Biglow Brown'ss rejected girlfriend. In an evocative
moment in 'I Had Myself a True Love,' her body hovered mid-air as she
placed her hands on Williams' waist -- a grasping effort to hold on to
the man she loved -- and he spun her.

Antonio Douthit's
portrayal of Death, a character absent from both the original Broadway
production and the novel, provided the story with an undercurrent of foreboding.
He executed magnificent leaps as he moved across the stage, invisible
to the other characters, foreshadowing Biglow's destruction and downfall.
In one of the most memorable movements of the evening, Douthit danced
with six women, Death's Acolytes, who were dressed in black and gold lingerie
with their hair loose and wild. During their lifts the women danced with
legs open around Douthit's waist or neck, openly suggesting a connection
between aggressive sexuality and death.

Exuberant performances
came from Melissa Morrissey and Preston Dugger as bar patrons Butterfly
and Barney, who performed daring and technically difficult partnered jumps
with ease. In one, Dugger threw Morrissey into the air and caught her
as she performed a mid-air split. They even had some fun with the dance
as Dugger wrapped his body around Morrissey's mid-section and she spun
him.

Most of the action
took place in Biglow Brown's bar. Tony Walton's set design was almost
certainly inspired by the paintings of Henri Matisse. With its flame motif
framing the set and the starry night seen through the window behind the
slopping bar, as well as its bright midnight blues and the passionate
reds and oranges, his set conjured Matisse's 'Icarus' and 'The Dance.'
Willa Kim's costumes -- 1940s-style suits for the men and flowing dresses
for the women -- followed the same bright color scheme as the set.

Also on the program
was George Balanchine's "The Four Temperaments," a shaky and
angular performance -- danced mostly by the company's corps dancers --
in which Douthit, Morrissey, and Paunika Jones stood out.